The Labor enquirer., 1887-02-26
The Character Of Our Modern
& Bastile Prisoners PERTH
nentIy Described.
who Ar the Mem Capital Pro
poses to Hang Because They
Were Labor Agitatorsi
The Victims ofths Eight Reur Strike
a They Appear in "Hur.
dsrer's Rev."

'LhDeIty'1. ~
As nv brief description Of the prison
ers seemed to interest you. I will give
you fuller account. / have secured I
pass from the sheriff. end occasionall,
60 In out of regular hours. where ca,
have the privilege Of shakisg hand
through the bars, the visitors being lar
red BY wire cage through which only
one finger can be put.
Let us take them in order as they
como. on the first corridor (Murderers
Row..
Cell SO is occupied by Neebs. He was
the 'hustler" Of the l. W. P. a. He
Organised" called meetings. issued cir
culars. and did the heavy work" to-
ward making the meeting a success
He was also prominent in organizing
trades into. unions. To ask him the diff.
ference between trades-unionism and
Anarchy would be conundrum. ]
presume you have seen their pictures
Liketthe rest. be had seen the folly oi
the ballot, and had no use for it. He
was On bail before trial. and not having
a knowledge of the future-remainedl
Cell 35 is Lingg's. He is a study. Il
is said that he is from q good family
in Germany. but skipped" from his ma.
tive country on account Of becoming In
volved in etc. Rumor says further
that ''Linga" is but a name assn med on
landing here. and that his family are
still in blissful ignorance of his where.
abouts. He is genuine revolutionist
he believes his time has come, and &C.
cepts tile "lo9ic of events" His only
regret is that the CHARGES against him
are not more weightv.
The next cell-34-is Engel's. He il
phlegmatic German. No nonsense
IN hib makeup. He PLAYED his hand
and lost. When l say one is a revolu.
tionlst. I can say they all are. OF
course, you recognize that I have more
sympathy with them in this respec,
than yourself. Engel 10 cool. self-confi,
dent and daring. He has No regrets and
no apologies to make.
Cell 50 is occupied by Spies. He If
what the Irish call the Head Centre
Of the movement. Young, ardent and
sincere, he has host Of friends. Seve
raj young ladies are in love with him
since the arrest, and I enjoy winking a,
him through the cage between two girls
talking 10 him at oncel Spies is the
only one who from the first recognized
the gravity of the situation. Calmly
awaiting arrest in his Office and marched
to jail, he told his conferes, before the
trial began, that they we're to 'swing,'
Always affable, yet always satirical, b.
listens to words of cheer with mockini
smile and turns the conversation with 8
joke. If Lingg is an enthusiast. Spies il
a philosopher. An old Socialist, he hal
learned that the ballot is superstition
and this he believes to be Anarchy
And vet one cannot help liking him
the more one sees him. Calm and def
ant, he asks no favors and lives with
out hopel State Socialist as he is.-bu
without knowing It'll shall ever keel
his memory green. His cell is carpetet
and adorned with flowers from hi
friends, yet never saw symptom o
false pride or egotism in him.
Sch wab is in cell 80. He is studen
in every sense of the word. He re
minds me of Byron's distich, "as mil'
manner'd a man." etc. He has Greel
sentence written on his lamp shade, bu
l am too rusty to write it from memory
His autobiography describes him fully
He wrote-that is his offense.
Cell 81 containg Fielden, Red Sam.
Tam now correcting his autobiography
and it will be interesting. Poor Sar
never saw a bomb in his life. With hi
warm and generous heart, tcuch he'd wit
the misery of the DOOR. he was Away
ready to "orate" in their behalf agains
the inequalities Of existing conditions
Of the revolutionary plans he kDev
nothing. and no man was more greatl
SURPRISED at the verdict than he.
heard his speech before Gary, and
me. like the rest, it brought tears to th
eyes. His wife has recently borne hiI
q child; whether he has yet seen it
know not; it is doubtful. His fathe
died last August. His speech alone hs
changed public opinion, and it was nj
one for effect. but thoroughly honest an
sincere. Before the supercedeas l ws
urging him to begin on his autobioRri
ply, but he couldn't. After it'came,
said "Lum. bring me bottle Of ink
Poor Sam! l love him and pity hin
His wife is one Of those home bodis
who cling to their husbands, aad afts
his arrest she did not knew her va
down town ON the cars without q
distance. Her whole life had bee
whipped up in him.
! Int tsll % We find Fischer my hvo
its. He i Of hevn granite. and bin onl
complaint now = hat undsr the ne
shsrif the death watch ars prohibite